Yes, the chickens

Last trip, it seemed to me that the Jamaican chickens, in some cases, are becoming Perduized -- bigger and less flavorful, more like the American chickens. I've also noticed that the "Jamaican Broiler" businesses is growing fast. I've seen a few comments with a similar sentiment (Mr. Bigga). Are these big Broiler farms turning out bland, water-pumped chickens. Anyone else noticing the change? I always thought Jamaicans rejected the Perdue style chickens......but last trip we felt like we were missing out on the old school, free ranging, flavorful chickens.

Still ate a lot of chicken.....the seas were stormy so we knew there would be no fresh catch.

boardie-sabu ~~ GOOD-GOOD queries DER...!!!..


my experience
on the board
with *type* of query
is::>>> '''...folks don't wanna *touch* it...''
.....not good for tourist bizne$$$ ..... a '.TMI.' kinda thing-y
.............honest response will mash-up the *game*


me-Too
all-ways *wondering* about dem Ja-chickens
[[[ especially 'cause there's a HUGH chicken processing place,
just on the outskirts of Lucea-town ]]]

i'm gonna *try*
this trip
to do a likkle *investigation*
.......ask some folks
........chat up chix-place employee(s)
.........etc etc blah blah

but for YEARS,
my *gut*-SAY"::>>>> ''... dem eat so much chicken down-yonder-here, that there's NO-way all that cooked chicken is ''..free-range..'' .... nooooooooooooooooo way...''

ummmmmmmmmmmm

sabu...you ever tried the Jamaican KFC chicken..??..
it's NICE..!!! .... much better than chicken in-foreign-KFC
...sweet sweet ... juicy juicy
.
.
again::>> *investigation* soon come

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by smith744

boardie-sabu ~~ GOOD-GOOD queries DER...!!!..


my experience
on the board
with *type* of query
is::>>> '''...folks don't wanna *touch* it...''
.....not good for tourist bizne$$$ ..... a '.TMI.' kinda thing-y
.............honest response will mash-up the *game*

---

Huh? What game? And why would the truth mash up anything? This topic was all over the news in January.... anyways...



Sabu,

The Jamaica Broilers Group has been around for nearly 60 years. They are growing because they have to grow to supply the ever increasing needs of the population.

During this past Christmas season, there was an island wide shortage of chicken. This was similar to the egg shortage during the holiday season about 3 years ago.

Best Dressed Chicken has brought more local production online but the chicken suppliers had to import chicken to prevent the shortage from continuing. Here is a pic and link to the Loop News story:

Attachment 45119

http://www.loopjamaica.com/content/b...chicken-demand

This importing was not met without warnings. Here is a pic and link from another story about the shortage:

Attachment 45120

http://nationwideradiojm.com/levy-wa...ultry-imports/

While there are small chicken farms, they usually supply specific store(s), restaurant(s) or their neighborhood, not the major stores. For that kind of supply, you need large scale raising of chickens. The only truly "free range" chickens I have heard about are the ones from the Chigwell Farm which started in 2013 and operates in Hanover on a small scale. They only produce about 200 chickens per month. We have a small chicken coop in our yard, it is not "free range" by definition, but the chickens are tasty!

Anyone who makes the south coast run to Kingston will see the large Best Dressed Chicken plant right along the road. You cant miss it. Not sure what investigation there needs to be done, by googling you will find out all you would ever want to know.

And KFC is excellent here... (grin)

Don`t want to speak for Smith; but it`s obvious that local, free-range, `yard chicken`can`t supply the entire island. Just like so-called `Snapper` isn`t locally `caught` for the most part, and served up the same day at Negril restaurants. There is a Tilapia farmed fish business in Western Jamaica, and that is what many, if not most businesses sell. Gotta note that our recent visit to Negril enlightened us on the Burger King fish situation as well. They used to have a wonderful `Big Fish`sandwich which is now an Alaskan Pollock sandwich and it was Yuck. Also; there is no longer a `We are proud to serve Jamaican Beef` sign on the window at Burger King. Never again. The reasons are quite clear. You can`t supply the succulent local chicken to so many tourists and local people because it`s just not possible or economically viable. So the `western ways` economy sets in.

**in defense** of the chickens served/sold/etc in-Jamaica

for the *most*-part, to me, it *seems* ,,, or it could be my imagination:::>>> HOW the chicken tastes has MORE to do with WHO is doing the cookin'.

in an earlier video,
i posted a chicken & rice dish
i'd purchased from a beach-buddy-vendor::::: i KNOW it was what they call-ed '''..chicken-parts...'' --- not the prime-chicken cuts/pieces/etc .... '''..the parts..'' ...... but it was soooooooooooooooooooooo goooood ::::; delicious, sumptuous, succulent, moist, everything.

as with most things cook-ed::::it's the cooker and the spices and herbs etc etc etc

so,
if you get some ''bad'' chicken
in Jamaica
it's the cooks fault....probably.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rob

We have a small chicken coop in our yard, it is not "free range" by definition, but the chickens are tasty!

---

Just can't picture you or Lisa plucking feathers, lol.

I think "to many mouths and not enough chickens" is happening all over the world. It's the same with other livestock and fruits and vegetables. They are constantly looking for ways to shorten growing seasons and raising chickens and other animals to grow bigger in a shorter amount of time. That's the price we pay for overpopulating the planet and why would our beloved Jamaica be any different. It does suck but in a way we should be greatfull that people are doing something about it. The world is loosing valuable land used to raise animals and grow food for human consumption. Not sure that it is a topic for discussion here but like it or not it is the way of the future and the price we pay for what we are doing to the planet

I was in Accompong Town during this shortage and, although we don't eat meat at my home, my neighbors raise a lot of chickens for eggs and for meat both "free range" and in a coop.

This shortage was caused by several factors. Feed got too expensive to raise chickens for meat so the production went down and they just let them roam for food and roost for the egg production. Next, the eggs were in very short supply and you couldn't find them in the stores in Santa Cruz. Also, those who bought chickens to raise had to put up a large deposit as much as 6 months in advance of delivery or getting the chickens wouldn't be guaranteed. Most Jamaican farmers don't have the ready cash to do that so when they became available for sale, the people who did pay the deposits got most of all the available chickens. Tourism goes up dramatically and the demand for the tourist market severely impacted the availability for local street and store vendors to the point that they could only by one bag of chicken parts at a time. Many small cook shops had to close their doors because they had no chicken to sell.

All these occurring at the same time dried up the supply and the prices too. At $120.00+ Jamaican to a US $, the $200 - $400J box lunches could not pay for the increased price causing more problems.

This is a problem that will most likely occur every year during tourist season now until production can ramp up at an affordable price to supply both the tourist and local market.

Peace and Guidance

question:::>>> I vague-ly remember a not to long-ago [[[ 9-months ?? ]]] chicken and egg shortage in the good 'ole USofA.

the '.cause.' was::>>> the chicken producer/processors had sick-sick, diseased, some kinda-virus((???)) chickens and all their flocks, or large portions of their flocks had to be destroy-ed .... i.e., killed.

is this what happen-ed in Jamaica,
when it had it's chicken & egg shortage...??.

Not sure about the supply / demand for chickens but I can tell you that the chicken farms that I have seen in JA are what one might expect in rural JA. 40 miles from Kingston I have no idea who the farmer sells to but I have eaten one of these birds and no way they are juiced up with steroids as the meat is on the lean side but tasted good. Everybody in the community eats them with seemingly no negative effect.


Attachment 45121Attachment 45122

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by smith744

question:::>>> I vague-ly remember a not to long-ago [[[ 9-months ?? ]]] chicken and egg shortage in the good 'ole USofA.

the '.cause.' was::>>> the chicken producer/processors had sick-sick, diseased, some kinda-virus((???)) chickens and all their flocks, or large portions of their flocks had to be destroy-ed .... i.e., killed.

is this what happen-ed in Jamaica,
when it had it's chicken & egg shortage...??.

---

Smith,

Since the different shortages occurred 3 years apart, they are unrelated. The egg shortage 3 years ago was blamed on bad feed that was given to the layers. Once the feed was changed, they began to produce again.

This latest chicken shortage in December 2015 was simply a supply/demand issue. If you read the articles I linked, you would see that the Jamaica Broilers Group was already in the process of getting the suppliers to build new facilities well before the shortage began. The problem with the chicken shortage was the demand increased before the new facilities opened, causing the suppliers to import chicken which would definitely account for a change in taste during the first few months of the year.

The new facilities are now in operation and more are planned.

I can say I spoke with a very nice gentleman at Chicken Lavish that said he has a chicken farm that they get their chickens from (was this the owner?) Their chicken was the tastiest I had all week. Of course I only also had chicken from 3 Dives to compare it to.

~Moose

as always,
ThANKs, Rob

so,
disease wasn't an issue in Jamaica eh
..good to know
.
.
boardie-johng ~~~ GREAT pics der, Boss..!!..
..that had to be an ***interesting*** visit to the chicken-man's place

smith744,

Every adventure in Jamaica is an interesting one. The chicken farm is run by an old friend of mine and I guess he follows whatever rules / laws the the health dept in JA has in place. What many boardies / visitors to JA forget is that JA is a Third World Country behind in many ways to what Americans and Canadians think are the realities in the world. Smith744 I know you understand but an open air market be it Sav or Lucea or Kingston on a Saturday proves to be a very distinct memory. Hot temps, no refrigeration. It is a Third World Market. Beef, Pork, Fish, Chickens sold with flies in the air (and on the produce) blood on the cutting boards, etc... Some people might feel quite uncomfortable seeing the reality but it is what it is. I have never gotten sick by the food there so my impression is that everything is clean and germ free.

I have only been sick once from food in Jamaica, but it was the real deal. Luckily it hit our last day, but that did make for miserable travel back to the states. It took me a solid week to recover at home, and I still don't know just what I ate that gave me the bug.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by johng

smith744,

Every adventure in Jamaica is an interesting one. The chicken farm is run by an old friend of mine and I guess he follows whatever rules / laws the the health dept in JA has in place. What many boardies / visitors to JA forget is that JA is a Third World Country behind in many ways to what Americans and Canadians think are the realities in the world. Smith744 I know you understand but an open air market be it Sav or Lucea or Kingston on a Saturday proves to be a very distinct memory. Hot temps, no refrigeration. It is a Third World Market. Beef, Pork, Fish, Chickens sold with flies in the air (and on the produce) blood on the cutting boards, etc... Some people might feel quite uncomfortable seeing the reality but it is what it is. I have never gotten sick by the food there so my impression is that everything is clean and germ free.

---

.
.
ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

boardie-johng ~~ you've PUSH-ed a LOT of buttons, with me

but right now
i don't have time to respond
as i'd like

for example, i have *problems* with that First( ?? )-world imposed label ... i.e., Jamaica a third world

nevertheless,
i *HEAR* ya,,,, BUT _____________ _____________ _______________ _____________

smith744,

No disrespect to you or Jamaica when I referred to JA as Third World and the US & CAN as the first world. Those are not my words.


third world
noun
Popularity: Bottom 30% of words
Definition of third world

1
: a group of nations especially in Africa and Asia not aligned with either the Communist or the non-Communist blocs

2
: an aggregate of minority groups within a larger predominant culture

3
: the aggregate of the underdeveloped nations of the world

third world·er play \-ˈwər(-ə)l-dər\ noun often capitalized T&W Those are the words of the guys that write dem dictionary not mine words.

Quote:

---

The term Third World was originally coined in times of the Cold War to distinguish those nations that are neither aligned with the West (NATO) nor with the East, the Communist bloc. Today the term is often used to describe the developing countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania.
Many poorer nations adopted the term to describe themselves.

---

I don't see Jamaica on any of these lists showing supposed "Third World" countries.
http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworl...ld.htm#Poverty

You run the risk of using "long time visitor" knowledge without keeping up with the changing realities on the ground in Jamaica. In threads past it was "garrisons" and now "Third World".

Be sure to leave your doors and mind open to allow the "chickens to come home to roost" :rolleyes:

Peace and Guidance

Thanks for all the insights. With some 2.7 million Jamaicans, plus 2.5 million tourists, that's a lot of chickens.....just hope they stay away from the hormones, steroids and antibiotics that the big producers rely on in the US.

Never tried KFC, although the franchise in MoBay must be one of the most valuable anywhere.

I also always had a problem with the "Third World" thing, though I loved the band. I couldn't figure out who was in the "Second World." When I was a geography major in college in the 70s, we tried to PC it with "industrialized/non-industrialized", "developed/developing" - but that doesn't even make sense anymore. Regional may be best, North American, European, Asian -- but broad categorizations are always tricky.

I wish I was sitting on the beach in Negril right now trying to figure at all out. But in the meantime, back to Smiths video and traveling poetry....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sabu

....... -- bigger and less flavorful, more like the American chickens...................

big Broiler farms turning out bland, water-pumped chickens.

Anyone else noticing the change?

.

---

.
.
I got bad [[[ ??? ]]] news for you-all

i've been here a likkle over a week,
and have eaten more than enough Ja-chicken

verdict.:;:>>>it taste sooooooooooooooooooooo too-too goooooood.
...succulent
...flavor-FULL
...smell gooooood... especially when being cooked ...[[ sniff sniff ]]
....always juicy

my *gut*
tells me that
the not-so-good chicken
described in the original post
may have been over-der-in-Negril,
where if the chicken ain't selling fast enough [sometimes]
it sit-sit too too long on the grill or on stove or in pot ::::: ergo dry chicken, among other things

next time, try:::>> put a likkle more ketchup & hot-sauce on the chicken ::: that'll help cover-up a host of *issues*

smith744,

I very much enjoy your insights and stories about your travels in Jamaica. I guess Re:Yes, the chickens, topic has made me think outside the ordinary box which is a great thing. What it brings to my mind is that the chicken in Jamaica question opens a bigger one. How will be able to feed the world in whole in the future considering population growth, longer life expectancy, and the shortages of essential foods (chicken in this case)??? What I fail to recognize (probably on purpose) is the world hunger that exists in so many parts of the world today let alone the future. What about clean drinking water????

I know you don't have an answers for this but you are a forward thinker.

.
.

* sigh *
.
boardie johng...johng...johng ~~ it's early-early in the morning .... Easter holiday weekend starts ToDAY here in Jamaica,,, i'm on vacation.... I over-stand your concerns, thoughts, etc.... but my likkle pea-brain can't *manage* right-now.

water..?....... right NOW, as we speak,,, am SEE-ing the problem up-close right here IN Jamaica .... scary stuff

not nuff food.?? ... here in jamaica,,, puzzles me, 'cause there's PLENTY of land to grow stuff, but folks don't wanna do it

over-population..??.... the 'spiritual' side of me *think* it just *might* be time for us-humans to become extinct... our time is UP..!!.. The Big-Man/Woe-mon in the Sky gonna send us-all the same way that He/She did the dinosaurs. Or *maybe* something-something( ?? ) like what was allegedly done back-in-the-day with Noah and his big boat.

ummmmmmmmmmmmm
johng ~~~ can you swim..??

:-)
.
.
oh
oh::>>> me GOT to run..!!... go to Negril... get my Easter haircut, and beard trim

likkle more

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by smith744

over-population..??.... the 'spiritual' side of me *think* it just *might* be time for us-humans to become extinct... our time is UP..!!.. The Big-Man/Woe-mon in the Sky gonna send us-all the same way that He/She did the dinosaurs...

---

Since, as Smith noted the "Easter holiday weekend starts ToDAY here in Jamaica", we will close this now way off topic chicken thread with Smith's eloquent answer to the global overpopulation...

Happy Easter from Jamaica!